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November Scenes
You are cordially invited to Hilltop's Annual Holiday Potluck Celebration Friday, December 18, 2009
11:30am – 1:00pm
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In This Issue
November Scenes
Holiday Celebration Invitation
Hello from Co-Op
Thoughts on Community
Musical Notes
Maintenance News
Ways & Means News
Surf City USA Marathon
Important Dates
Dec 5: Clean-Up Day
Dec 18: Holiday Celebration
Dec 21: Winter Break Hilltop
Closed through 1/1/2010
Save the Dates
Jan 20: General Meeting
Feb 7: Surf City Marathon
March 13: Safari Night
May 1: Spring Festival
Full Year Calendar available at: www.hilltoppreschool.com/Calendar.html
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Hello from Co-Op
Dear Moms and Dads,
What a wonderful and delightful year this has been. We would like to take this time to  introduce Skippy and Sadie. Skippy and Sadie are dogs (stuffed of course) that are also the Co-op Class Mascots. Skippy and Sadie have the responsibility of visiting all the children’s homes for about a school week (roughly a 4-5 day stay). Skippy and
Sadie each have a journal, which contains a picture, a welcome letter and paper where you can write a story about what Skippy or Sadie and your child have been doing. We also enjoy seeing pictures of them in action with the children. When Skippy or Sadie’s stay is over (roughly 4-5 days) your child will bring Skippy or Sadie and the journal back to Hilltop and we will read the journal during morning gathering or story time. Then Skippy or Sadie will venture on to the next child. This is another way to make the connection between home and school deeper as well as a way to create communication between the children. It also creates the opportunity to active listen to feelings of disappointment and excitement.
Based on our observations of the class, we thought it would be beneficial to add an article about children’s friendships this month. We hope you gain a better understanding of your child from this article.
Children today are beginning earlier in social situations, and they are spending more time with peers than they used to. With more mothers of preschool-age children joining the work force, more children are in childcare settings. Recent studies have found that some friendships formed in the early years of childhood are second only to family relationships in importance. From such findings comes a heightened awareness of the social and emotional importance of friendships in the early years.
Enrollment in an early childhood program offers children social experiences that might not be available to them in relationships with adults or siblings. With many friends their own age, a child encounters lots of opportunities to negotiate and compromise. Children are encouraged to express opinions and ideas, as well as to respect others.
Interactions with and acceptance by peers have long-term effects on a child’s life. Preschoolers develop social competence in three main areas: initiating interactions, maintaining ongoing relationships and solving conflicts with other children.
While some children easily join a group at play, others have difficulty. As adults, we can help young children learn social strategies for entering playgroups or for talking to other children about what they want. Watching for a few minutes and then saying, “I’ll be the sister. Okay?” works better than, “Hey. Let me do that!”
We need not be too concerned when children frequently change best friends. A friendship may last only for an afternoon of play. However, if a child does not seem to have any special friendships at school, he may benefit from one-on-one time with one of the other children outside of the early childhood setting. Playing together a few times outside of school often gives two children a level of comfort with each other that carries over to their time at school. |
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| Musical Notes
Hello, Everybody!!
I hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving. I love this time of year – the joy of feasting and making merry with family and friends… What a blessing!
This time of year is also a great time for musical sharing! No matter what your holiday ritual, music most likely has a traditional place in it. Think about the songs you sang at this time of year when you were a child, and the songs the adults around you sang and listened to. Share these songs with your children. Share these songs with your friends.
On Friday, December 18th, we will have a sing-along as part of the winter potluck celebration. We are a culturally rich community – let’s share the celebratory music of this magical time of year from our respective cultures. What’s your favorite song to mark this time of year? Email it to me so we can include it in our holiday sing-along on the 18th as we prepare to celebrate!
Welcome Solstice! Happy Hanukkah! Merry Christmas! Happy Kwanzaa! Happy New Year!
Musically,
Ms. Kindel
info@beachmesamusictogether.com
Maintenance News
Have you signed up for your maintenance obligations yet? If not, now is the perfect time. We need your help Level 1 and Level 2 families. There are many things we need to repair and improve at Hilltop. Simply, contact me (aldwinv@yahoo.com) to sign up. Remember, each Level 1 and Level 2 family is responsible for two maintenance obligations a year, one of which must be a Clean-Up Day. Clean-Up days are scheduled once a month on a Saturday from 9am to 1pm. Here are the rest of the scheduled Clean-Up Days for the year if you haven’t signed up yet:
- January 30th
- February 27th
- March 27th
- April 24th
- May 22nd
- June 12th
Thank you everyone! -Al Vicencio
Ways and Means News
Our next fundraiser is upon us! Soap orders are due this Friday, December 4th and See's Candy is due on Thursday, December 10th. Please check your parent boxes at Hilltop for information. And if anyone needs more order forms contact Laura Ehrlich! |
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Getting the Most out of Your Community
One way of getting the most out of any community is to really show up for that community. I can’t stress this point enough. Ours goes through shifts and changes. It has financially abundant people one year and personally abundant people the next. It has a different flavor every year - some years it is full of new faces; some years not as much. Thus showing up shows up in different ways.
Let me tell you what this could mean to you personally or individually, because let’s face it – in the long run that is what makes our choices. We give because we feel good; because it works for us somehow. So, for you – in terms of the school – the more time and effort that you put into the environment, the more beauty that surrounds your child and the more time that the teachers have to focus on what we are truly here to do: provide a growing space in which we creatively mix and match our resources to stimulate your child.
The more time and effort you put into practicing PET at school the more easily it will flow into other areas of your life. We cannot stress enough the benefit of active listening with others. You have to experience for yourself the magic of being present in a moment enough to be sure that you are clear on what you have heard and that the other person knows you have heard them. This means – stepping out. This is a school for the children, but it is designed to be a training ground of sorts for you too. You will get out of it what you put into practice. We don’t expect you to get it right. It is also a place where you can be supported in your changes.
The more you offer up personally – the more vulnerability and emotional presence that you convey to others, the more intimate and supportive friendships that you will get. I have seen this time and time again. While there is something to gain from this school no matter how much you put in – I just want to ask – are you gaining what you could? Are you gaining what you want from it? Julia Stewart, a well known life coach says, “If there’s nobody out there you can ask for a favor than you are not giving to others enough.”
Love,
Malia
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Surf City Marathon - Sunday, February 7th
Set and meet your personal health and fitness goals while
also raising funds for Hilltop’s operating income
Run/walk a 5 K (3.1 miles) or ½ marathon (13.1 miles)
- Make the commitment to JUST DO IT!
- Register at runsurfcity.com
- Raise a minimum of $50 for Hilltop
- Our funds raised will be matched two times – e.g. if we collectively raise $200 it will be matched twice and become $600!
- Commit to the 10 week training schedule – contact Lisa Mullens for a training schedule
- First long run on Saturday, December 5th – 4 miles!
- If you would like to sponsor our Hilltop runners/walkers, simply place a donation into Lisa Mullens’ folder in the black crate and write “Surf City run” in the memo section
- Pasta party for Hilltop runners and walkers on February 6th – Location & time TBA.
GO TEAM HILLTOP!
Contact Lisa Mullens @ kmullens@socal.rr.com or 714-308-2355 with any questions
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